Exchange Students at BFA!

Alejandro, Csenge, Magda, Beatrice, Karin

Magda (Germany)

This school year BFA welcomed five exchange students to our high school. This group represents Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, and Spain. We are thrilled to have their joy and positivity in our school. They have participated in our athletic programs, Coffee House, and even showed the high school how to make a family favorite recipe on the school news. I’ve invited the students to take over this blog and share their experiences. If you are interested in hosting a student please contact the school.

The absolute first thing I noticed when I came to Vermont was its people and how nice they are. Even though nobody knew me I was included almost immediately. More than that even, I was welcomed with open arms especially by my class and teammates.

Something that definitely helped with making friends were the school sports. Seeing the same people every day automatically makes you bond. During fall I played soccer, now in the winter I’m on the cross country ski team and I’ve not had more fun since I came here.

Moreover, Vermont (in my opinion) is probably one of the prettiest places to be on the East Coast. The nature here is breathtaking and looking at the sun setting behind Mount Mansfield after practice is a highlight every single time.

I am definitely very thankful for being here. I found some amazing friends which I’m sure will stick with me for a long time and a passion for skiing that I never knew I had.

Beatrice (Italy)

Hi I am Bea. I am from Northern Italy and I am here for my exchange year. So far I find America to be very different. People in America have such a far different culture then we have in Italy. So far it is going well but I notice so many different things.

First of all, in Italy we have a vast culture of food. But, here in America there is a wide diversity of food from all over the world, no single food in “American.” For example, we have many different types of food in Italy, but they are mostly Italian. In the morning in Italy I eat sweets in the morning, but in America that is not the same. People look at me weird when I eat Oreos in the morning and I always get weird looks from across the kitchen table. Also, alfredo sauce is not Italian, but the pasta is!

Moving away from food to specifically here in Vermont. I have been loving my new friends and the diverse choices of classes. I started to do sports that I have never tried. Back in Italy we play the same sport all year, but here I get to play new sports every two months. I love my host family, they are very open minded and easy to talk to. At the same time, their traditions are pretty neat! I have cut down my first christmas tree, went to a pumpkin patch, went apple picking, and had my first Thanksgiving. I can’t believe everyone mixes all the things together!

I have been able to travel around a lot. I went to Boston for the first time. Maine was a beautiful place. Also, I am very excited for my future trip to Florida. We will be going to Universal Studios and Disney World.

Lastly, time is flying! I cannot believe that I have been in America for 4 months. I am so glad to be here, I am thinking about possibly coming back for college! I would love to be able to go to UVM in the future and spend more time in Vermont.